Gang-plank.



PATENTED OCT. 29, 1907.

E. V. RIDEOUT.

GANG PLANK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1907.

E. l Rideoz/f UNITED STAT EgSliEENT OFFICE.

ERNEST V. RIDEOUT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GANG-PLANK.

Application file-d May To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eaxnsr V. RInnoU'r, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gang-Planks, of which the following is a specilication in such full and clearterms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use thesame.

This invention relates to gangplanks used for unloading ships andsteamers or other vessels, and its object is to expedite such unloadingby assisting the men to run the trucks full of merchandise up to thewharf, or up to the deck of the boat, as the case may be.

On rivers and on bays there is nearly always some considerabledifference in elevation between the decks of the boats and the level ofthe floors of the docks. When it happens that the boat is higher thanthe dock it is easy enough to run the loaded trucks off-the boat, but itis very difficult for the men to run the loaded trucks up to the deck,and the opposite difficulty occurs when the boat happens to be lowerthan the dock.

In the drawings in which like numerals and letters of reference areapplied to like parts throughout, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section ofthe gangplank near its center, and in the position in which it is used.Fig. 2 is a plan of the plank shortened for purposes of illustration.Fig. 3 is a plan of the boxing at the takeup end of the chain. Fig. 4 isa section near the ower end of the plank and ooking to the left in Fig.1, and Fig. 5 is a detail of the boxes used on the takeup end of thechain.

The plank is made of the two sides 1, which are about 24 feet long, andwhich are of sufficient depth near the center to sustain a heavy load.The planks are provided on their inner sides with the cleats 2 which runtheir entire length, and on these cleats are placed the cross pieces 3,which latter support the floor 4. This floor extends from side to sideof the plank and from one end to the other, and it is wide enough for anordinary wheeled hand truck to travel between the sides 1. In the centerof the floor is placed a long rail 5 and on the top of this rail isplaced a channel iron 6 for the chain 7 to travel in. This chain passesover the wheels 8 at each end of the plank, the upper of which drives itby means of the small wheel 9, the chain 10, wheels 12 and 13 and chain14 from the motor M. This motor may be of any type, steam, electric, orgas, and is placed in the center of the plank in such manner as to beout of the Way when the plank is to be moved.

The chain 7 carries a series of flights 1]. which extend above the topof the channel just far enough to allow them to catch the truck axles asthe men run them on the plank, the position of an axle being illustratedin dotted lines in Fig. 4.

In order that any looseness of the chain may be taken Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1907.

1907. Serial No. 371.570.

up movable boxes are provided at the lower end of the plank. The boxes15 are secured to plates 22, the edges of which show in Fig. 3 and whichare secured to the long rail 5, the blocks 16 being provided to assistin holding the boxes in their proper position. These boxes arerectangular in shape and have a movable block 19 in which the shaft 18of the wheel 8 is journaled. This block 19 may be moved back and forthby means of the threaded bolt 20, and in this way any slack of the chain7 is at once taken up.

The manner of using the plank is as follows: The boat B being at a lowerlevel than the dock D it is necessary for the men unloading the boat tohave some assistance in pushing the hand trucks up the incline. A sheetof steel is placed at the lower end of the plank andthe men run theirtrucks onto the plank, holding the truck ,in position long enough forone of the (lights of the chain 7 to come around and catch the axle ofthe truck, as is shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 4, the chain thenpushes the axle, and of course the truck, ahead of it, the man holdingthe truck in the upright position and walking behind it. As soon as theman has reached the top of the incline the truck runs off the plank downanother piece of sheet steel placed at the upper end of the plank, theaxle being quickly [reed from contact with the (light of the chain 7,Several trucks may be coming up the plank at the same time, the onlylimitation being the power and the space required for each truck tostand on. This device is more adapted to use for this kind of work thanan endless belt on which the trucks run, and up which both men andtrucks are moved, for the reason that the men are moving all the timeand have better control of the truck than when they are standing stillon the conveyor. They can more easily run off the plank at the upper endwhere they are still walking than where the iloor on which they arestanding is moving, as in the case of an endless belt.

In order to keep the plank from shoving too far onto the wharf, or boat,as the case may be, there is a shoulder cut in the under side of thesides 1 at the top end as shown in Fig. 1.

All modifications of the invention coming within the scope of theappended claims are expressly reserved.

Having thusdcscribed my invention in such full and clear terms as willenable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis as follows: i

1. In a gangplank, the combination of a plank near the center thereof, arail projecting from the top of the plank, a chain passing over the railand carried by a wheel at each end of the plank, and means to drive thechain, suhstantially as described.

2. In a gangplank, the combination of a plank, a rail projecting fromthe plank near the center thereof, a wheel at each end of the plank, achain running over the wheels and longitudinally of the rail, and amotor carried by the plank below the floor thereof to drive the chain,substantially as described.

In a gangplank, the combination of a plank, a \vheel at each end of theplank and extending" above the top of the plank, a rail projecting fromthe top of the plank, a chain passing over the wheels and rail, flightscarried by the same and projecting above the chain on its upper run.means carried by the rail to hold the chain thereon and means to drivethe chain, substantially as described.

4. In a gangplank, the combination of a plank consisting of two deepsides and a floor extending between the same, a rail projecting from thefloor on its upper side near the center thereof, a channel iron carriedby the rail, a wheel at each end of the plank. a chain passing over theWheels and in the channel, and a motor connected with one of the Wheelsand carried below the floor of the plank, substan tially as described 5.In a gang'plank, the combination of a plank consisting of two deep sidesand a floor extending between the same, a'rail projecting from the upperside of the floor near its center and extending from a point near oneend to a point near'the opposite end of the plank, a channel ironcarried by the rail, a wheel at each end of the rail, a chain passingover the Wheels and in the channel iron, flights carried by the chainand projecting above the channel. and means carried by the plank todrive the chain, substantially as described.

61 In a gangplank. the combination of a plank consisting of two deepsides and a floor extending between the same, a rail projecting from theupper side of the floor near its center line, a channel iron carried bythe rail, a Wheel at each end of the rail, a chain passing over thewheels and in the channel, flights carried by the chain and projectingabove the channel, and a motor connected with one of the wheels andcarried below the floor of the plank, substan tially as described.

T. In a gangplank, the combination of a plank consisting of two deepsides and a floor extending between the same, a rail projecting from theupper side of the floor near its center line,.a channel iron carried bythe rail, a Wheel at each end of the rail, a chain passing over thewheels and in the channel. flights carried by the chain and projectingabove the channel, means to tighten the chain at one end of the plank,and a motor carried by the plank on its under side and connected withthe wheel at one end of the plank to drive the chain, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27 day of April,A. D. 1007. at San Francisco, CaL, in the presence of two Witnesses.

ERNEST V. IIIDEOUT.

Witnesses .I. II. Wann, C. I. GRIFFIN,

